Simplification of procedures related to the aid application system
Article 4
1. Member States shall establish electronic means of communication between the beneficiary and the authorities ensuring that transmitted data is reliable in view of the proper management of the interventions under the integrated administration and control system. Where supporting documents cannot be transmitted electronically, Member States shall set the same time limits for their transmission by non-electronic means. 2. Member States may provide for simplified procedures where data is already available to the authorities, in particular where the situation has not changed since the last submission of an aid application. Member States may decide to use data derived from data sources at the disposal of national authorities for the purpose of aid applications. Member States shall ensure that those data sources offer the level of assurance necessary for the proper management of the data in order to guarantee the reliability, integrity and security of that data. 3. Where appropriate, Member States may request the information required in any supporting documents to be submitted together with the aid application directly from the source of information.